Orangetown breaks tax cap, levy to rise 4.8 percent in 2013

Orangetown residents will pay nearly 5 percent more in property taxes next after the Town Board approved a budget that breaks the state’s property tax cap.

The board Tuesday night voted unanimously to approved the $62.9 million spending plan, despite contentious debate between councilmen, according to a LoHud.com story by Alex Taylor. The plan will raise the tax levy by about 4.8 percent, though officials say an exact number will be available next week.

The board also approved a string of cuts totaling about $350,000 and to use $250,000 from the reserve fund. The town is already using $1.5 million in reserves this year to minimize the tax impact.

Board member Denis Troy said the town was dealing with unanticipated expenses.

“We had expenses dumped on us that were not budgeted in 2012,” he said.

Dwight R. Worley has covered the politicians, educators, activists, businesses, developers and residents of the Lower Hudson Valley for more than a decade. As a reporter and data analyst on the newspaper's Tax Watch Team, Dwight keeps a sharp eye on local taxes, budgets and spending. Dwight has worked on the projects team as a computer- assisted reporting expert. That experience is handy on the Tax Watch Team, as is his master's degree in computer science from Pace University.